Lost Son
by Koalagriton
Summary: A 2012 Foot Leo fic. Cover art gifted by pointlessquotehere on tumblr. When Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo come across The Shredder's new henchman they are shocked to find out it's another turtle mutant just like them. This other turtle is about their same age and is named with the same renaissance artist theme as they were, Master Splinter has some explaining to do.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: this fic is dark. If there is any warning that exists, this fic probably should have it. Don't read this if you have any triggers. There's torture, dub-con, non-con, child abuse, explicit violence and possibly eventual tcest.

Prologue

Leonardo didn't know what he'd expected. He'd been ordered to come to New York immediately by The Shredder himself to deal with Hamato's disciples whom were giving Shredder's henchmen trouble. He was surprised to hear that the Hamato clan still lived and even more so when he was told the disciples in question were mutants like him but he hadn't expected them to be _turtles_ who looked _exactly_ like him.

 _Okay, maybe not exactly._ He thought as the tableau continued and he stared, three pairs of eyes staring right back.

He'd received a message the moment he arrived in the North American Foot headquarters that there'd been a sighting of the mutants and he was to head out immediately to confront them. He didn't even have time to settle into his room before he was summoned, just dropped his things on the tatami in the corner of the empty space, strapped on his gear and went to the wing where the troops lived and trained. Leonardo picked a few soldiers he'd worked with before to form a small reconnaissance group and headed out.

These turtles were good. He'd underestimated them and they managed to get the drop on a couple of his men who were fanned out too spread apart and not as silent on their feet as he was. The last two of his men jumped in recklessly, ignoring his previous order of no intervention and were taken down with relative ease. When Leonardo moved to get a good vantage point and scope out this enemy he'd frozen, his gasp giving his position away. That was how they stood now, all three of them frozen in place, his skin tingling as they scrutinized his every feature.

 _How was this possible?_

He knew there were other mutants in the world. He'd been sent to train with Tigerclaw for close to a year before he was called to New York so he was aware of their existence but he'd always assumed he was the only one like him that existed.

He was wrong.

The tall and slender one only balked for a second and now looked at him with interest, examining him in detail, his intelligent reddish-brown eyes sparkling as he took in every detail, his gaze darting over the parts of him that were unclothed under his mask and cowl that wrapped around his neck and shoulders, drifted to the emblem of the Foot clan branded on his bicep, the dark wrappings over his scarred legs and arms and then locking his eyes back to his, tilting his head to the side in thought as he tried to figure Leonardo out.

"Another turtle!?" The little one with the orange mask blurted out pointing rudely like a child that didn't know any better, beaming at him and approaching, leaving himself completely open to an attack.

"Mikey!" The darker, middle one scolded, his thick arm shooting out to the side to stop the other. He was heavily built and from what Leo had heard in the short time he was here, their best fighter. His green eyes that had looked at him with confused awe now blazed as he glared Leo down, an angry scowl on his face. "He's Foot! It doesn't matter if he's a turtle!"

He was right, it didn't.

Those words broke the spell that held him and Leonardo shifted into a defensive stance, ready to draw his blades. He shouldn't engage all three yet, he hadn't really been able to get a feel for their skill and running in blind put him at a disadvantage specially when it was three to one and yet... He could tell they were unbalanced by his presence and he couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Leonardo took advantage of the momentary distraction of the tall one as he glanced at his angry companion to launch himself at him, unsheathing one red-hilted sword and in the same movement slashing across in an arch intending to slice through his slender neck. Leonardo was expecting this one to be clumsy and slow, he seemed to have grown those long arms and legs too quickly to be able to know how to coordinate them and with the way he slouched as he leaned on his bo staff he didn't think he'd be much of a challenge but everything changed in a split second and Leonardo was forced to ease up on his attack.

Instead of clumsy and uncoordinated, the turtle's body straightened and flowed into a perfect form. His movements were graceful and elegant and his long limbs in addition to his weapon of choice gave him an incredible reach. He wouldn't be able to break this turtle's defences as quickly as he'd thought and he didn't have long before the others would be on him.

Leonardo pushed the tall turtle back, using his speed and drawing a second ninjato to send a barrage of strikes the other couldn't block all at once, forcing him to dodge and give ground, putting a little extra distance between him and his companions.

"Donnie!" The dark, angry one called out.

 _Big mistake._

Leonardo watched Donnie's eyes flicker in his companion's direction and therefore fail to see the kick aimed for his abdomen. They were close enough to the edge of the building for the taller turtle to be knocked back into the ledge, his large brown eyes opening in fear when he realised he had no room to stop his momentum and he toppled over the side with a surprised scream, one hand outstretched towards him. Leonardo suppressed the impulse to reach out for that hand, his grip tightening on the hilts of his ninjato instead as he watched the turtle fall out of sight.

"NO!" The other turtles yelled in time with the loud crash in the alley, much closer to him than he had anticipated and was comfortable with.

Leonardo turned around just in time to block the incoming sai with his blades and his arms trembled from the strain of keeping them locked in place and his own swords from cutting into his face. This turtle was a lot stronger than he had thought.

"You'll pay for that!" He yelled in Leonardo's face, baring his teeth in a furious growl as he bore down even harder on their locked weapons. If this continued, Leonardo was uncertain his blades would hold the pressure and could eventually snap between the prongs of the other's weapon.

"He should have kept his eyes on me." Leonardo said through his clenched teeth, sweat beading on his arms as they gave slightly. "It's his own fault. He wouldn't have fallen if he were more skilled and more aware of his surroundings."

The shorter turtle roared, his pupils contracting into pin pricks and his expression feral, his arms pushing with his full power. Leonardo used it against him by suddenly pulling back and to the side making him lose balance long enough for Leonardo to strike him in the side of the head with the hilt of his ninjato and then kick the turtle in the way of the little one who'd come back from the alley and was now charging him. They both fell in a heap at his feet as he jumped away from the edge of the building. His men were beginning to stir and he barked out an order for them to retreat while he held the mutants at bay.

Donnie was back now, bruises were starting to form all along his right arm and leg but he didn't seem to be hindered by them as he helped his companion up and checked his head quickly. The injured turtle swatted his hands away, wiped the trickle of blood from his temple with a fist and took another ready stance, they were all going to attack at once this time.

He'd be in trouble if they performed a coordinated attack but he could probably goad the angry one into attacking on his own and therefore get in the way of the others. He was good, very good and a lot stronger than he was but his emotions were volatile and made his attacks unfocussed and him unable to read the intentions of his opponent effectively and only reacting to what he saw in front of him. Instead of using his anger to fuel him it had become his weakness, Leonardo had fought men like this before and come out victorious because of it.

"You're good," He said calmly before directing a cocky grin in his direction, "but you're not as good as you think."

"Oh yeah?" Blazing green eyes glared back at him and he lifted his sai menacingly. "You wanna test that out, pretty-boy?"

"No!" Donnie interjected, lifting an arm to keep him back. "He's trying to provoke you, Raph, don't listen to him."

"Listen to your boss," Leonardo sneered and internally smiled when he saw the look between them and Raph visibly bristling. _Jackpot_. "Are you sure you want to fight me? Without the others around to defend you I'd wipe the floor with you. I don't see why the Foot haven't destroyed you already, your skills are pathetic."

"Raphael! STOP!" Donnie called out and tried to grab Raph to physically restrain him but it was too late.

Leonardo laughed as the enraged turtle charged, "I've already won." He declared in a dark, low voice before Raphael got into reach.

He feinted a diagonal slash with his blade which Raphael fell for, too far gone to read through the guise, and he was knocked over with a quick sweep of his feet. _So easy._ Leonardo was on him in the same movement, a foot on the middle of the downed turtle's plastron, pressing him into the gravel of the roof and the tip of his sword under Raph's chin, a drop of blood beading where it pressed against his skin.

"Surrender to me or this one dies." Leonardo commanded, blue eyes locking with brown. "You are lucky we want your Master instea-"

It all happened very fast, Raphael pulled his blade away with his bare hand, edge cutting into his palm as he wrenched it out of his grasp and tossed it away. With his free arm he somehow managed to lift and throw Leonardo off him by his leg as if he weighed nothing. Leonardo twisted in mid air like a cat and crashed into the metal door of the building's roof access with his carapace instead of face first but he barely had enough time to regain his breath and roll out of the way before the others were upon him.

He winced as he put weight on the ankle Raph had used to swing him out of the way. _This could be bad._ As he was reassessing his options the little one, who's skill he had discarded immediately, swung a nunchuck in his direction and with the press of a finger a blade appeared on the handle and the chain extended, catching him off guard and slicing into his forearm before he could jump away.

He cursed under his breath as he gave more ground, he'd underestimated this one, written him off as childlike and unskilled but somehow his warm, sunny expression from before had melted into one of complete concentration, unforgiving and merciless. The change was night and day and Leonardo considered escaping before the others could regroup. There was still a chance he would be able to take them on his own but his odds were not good, it was too risky.

The dark look the little one wore seemed out of place as he spun the bladed nunchuck-turned-kusarigama chain slowly as he eyed Leonardo. This one was a lot more dangerous than he'd seemed at first and the reports he'd received said close to nothing about him. Finally, a formidable adversary.

"What's your name?" He asked from a safe distance.

The little one's expression seemed to clear almost immediately and his bright blue eyes sparkled with glee. The change was so quick one could almost think the previous incident had been entirely imagined.

He holstered his weapons, cleared his throat and then began talking with a huge smile splitting his face. "My name is Michelangelo, the cute one!" He did a little spin and a pose. "But you can call me Mikey." He winked at Leonardo who gaped back.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to what had just happened and his eyes sought out Donnie's in confusion but he had his face covered with a hand and was shaking his head before he caught his eye and shrugged. "Just, ignore him."

"What's your name?" Mikey asked as he walked closer, face full of playful curiosity and he would have walked right up to Leonardo if Donnie hadn't caught him by belt and pulled him back like an eager puppy trying to walk into traffic.

"Uh," Leonardo was caught off balance. This wasn't how a fight between ninja clans was supposed to go. He cleared his throat and straightened, deciding to go along with the other's advice and ignoring the strange behaviour. "My name is Leonardo."

"Wait." Donatello let go of Mikey and began examining him again as he'd been doing when they first met. "You mean Leonardo as in Leonardo da Vinci? The Italian renaissance artist?"

"Huh?" Just like that he was off balance again. "Yes? What? I don't know. Uh, no, just Leonardo... What kind of question is that?"

Donnie shook his head. "Nevermind, the point is that you've lost. You're good, Leonardo, and if we continued you might be able to wound us further but it's three against one and you'll tire out before we do. This fight is over."

Leonardo clenched his teeth but knew his assessment was correct. Instead he said, "You don't have the skill to defeat me. I've already taken out your hard hitter, he probably has a concussion and he can't wield a weapon with his right hand, you are favouring your right side from your fall and the only member of your team who isn't hurt yet has the focus of a goldfish."

"Hey!" Mikey called out but was quieted with an olive-green hand on his shoulder.

"And yet," Donnie continued, his voice calm and level, "you are already considering retreat." His reddish-brown eyes watched him carefully, he was wearing the smug sort of half-grin one wore when they knew they were right.

 _Check mate._ He seemed to say with his eyes.

"This isn't over." Leonardo growled but decided he'd take the out that was offered. "Next time I won't go so easy on you. You better be prepared."

"Next time I'll wipe that cocky smirk off your face permanently!" Raphael called out from the side, holding his injured hand loosely against his plastron.

"We will be." Donnie answered as he watched Leonardo walk over to retrieve his fallen sword before turning away.

"Bye, Leo!" The little one yelled before he was out of earshot.

He shook his head as he flew over the rooftops, stopping and ducking into a shadow to make sure he wasn't being followed and assessing his injuries. He wasn't too bad off, the cut on his arm had stopped bleeding, it probably didn't even require stitches and the other scrapes and bruises wouldn't require medical attention either.

Confident he hadn't been followed he set out on a more direct route towards the base. He was mostly exhausted, his limbs were feeling heavier with each step. It had almost been 48 hours since he'd last slept and the thought of being able to fall face first into a warm bed soon sounded glorious. He'd check up on his men quickly first though and hope he wouldn't be required to report to Shredder until morning.

Once his responsibilities were concluded, he headed to his rooms situated in the wing reserved for higher ranks of the Foot clan. He had no official rank or men under his permanent authority but he was well respected. He was known as a skilled fighter trained by The Shredder himself and it was common knowledge he garnered his favour and that was enough for lower ranks to listen when he gave an order. Not having an official rank wasn't as bad as it sounded, it also meant that he was outside of the chain of command and responded to The Shredder personally.

That alone was enough for the other soldiers to keep their distance and show him respect. He also had quite a few loyal followers who found that he was more than open to imparting his knowledge in the dojo if asked and showed potential. There'd been a rumour amongst the men for a time that those who were taught by Shredder's turtle would be blessed by good luck and immediately raised in rank but the truth was it was only because of Leonardo's sharp eye for spotting talent and his ability to teach and motivate that this was ever the case.

"I was starting to think you'd gotten lost along the way." A feminine voice stopped him the moment he walked into the hallway leading to his room.

"Karai!" He smiled at Shredder's daughter. He hadn't seen her since she was brought to New York to assist her father and act as his second in command. He was glad to see her, she was a friendly face in a strange place and she'd always been kind to him in the past.

"I was hoping we could talk." The edge of her mouth curled up into a seductive smile.

* * *

Down in the sewers the turtles returned to the lair in silence. Before Raphael could argue, Donnie pulled him by the arm into the lab and started treating his wounds. Mikey followed them in and sat on the metal table beside Raph, swinging his feet.

"I can't believe there's another turtle!" He mused out loud. "Do you think we can convince him to join us?"

"Don't be ridiculous, he belongs to the Shredder, Mikey." Donatello answered. Raphael lifted an eye ridge at his choice of words but he'd meant what he said. He'd seen the brand of the Foot emblem on his arm, burned into his skin as if he were cattle.

"Yeah, Mikey. He's Foot clan. It doesn't matter if he's a turtle, he's our enemy." Raphael grumbled while he looked away from Donnie as he began stitching up his hand.

They sat in silence for a while, well, mostly in silence as Mikey had started humming some tune from a television show but they turned to Donnie when he began speaking again.

"It doesn't make any sense though!" He finished tying off the surgical thread and began bandaging the cut. "I mean, he was obviously mutated by the Kraang like us but those mutations are usually so unpredictable. What are the odds that he'd be mutated in the exact same way with the same results?"

Mikey and Raph looked at each other while Donatello's mind seemed to be working a mile a minute in another plane of existence. His eyes would do that thing when he was trying to find out the solution to something where they would dart side to side as if he were reading some invisible text inside his head.

"And why is he named like us?" He spoke against his fingers poised on his lips after a long moment of silence.

"He isn't named like us, he's called Leonardo." Mikey answered.

Donatello's attention snapped to them and he looked as if he were surprised they were still there. "No, I mean... Splinter named us after renaissance artists. What are the odds they would have named another mutant turtle following the same principal? There has to be more to this, we need to ask Splinter." He got up and started heading toward the dojo but Raphael stopped him.

"Leave it for tomorrow." Raphael told him but Donnie just got that determined glint in his eye and shrugged out of Raphael's grasp. "Who even cares how he was mutated or how he got his name? We should only care about taking him down. So what if he's a turtle?"

"Yes, lets talk about that then." Donatello whirled on Raphael. "Let's talk about how you almost got us all killed or handed over to the Foot clan."

"Me? You were the one who got thrown off a building!" Michelangelo tried to get in between them but they only pushed him aside and kept raising their volume.

"You distracted me!"

"I was warning you!"

"How am I supposed to lead this team if you won't listen?" Donatello held his hands out as he questioned Raphael. He'd been happy when Splinter designated him as leader but it had created a huge rift between him and Raph, not that they'd ever been very close to begin with. He knew Raph resented him because his fighting skill was much better than Donnie's but then again, leading wasn't about who was stronger and he felt that Raphael should understand that.

"Maybe you're just not good enough to be the leader." Raphael snapped back.

"And you think _you_ are? You just do whatever you want. If we would have gone in as a team Leonardo wouldn't have stood a chance! But no, you decided to run off when we needed you."

Raphael began growling and getting into Donnie's space when they were interrupted by the stern voice of Master Splinter that boomed around them.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Sensei!" All three turtles answered in different levels of surprise and shame, lining up and bowing their heads in respect.

Master Splinter walked up to them and they knelt. "Do you realise what time it is?!" He paced and stopped in front of Donatello, his step faltering as he noticed the state his sons were in. "What happened?" He asked more softly.

"There was another turtle and he was just like us but he was evil and working for Shredder!" Mikey spoke up cheerfully as if he was explaining the plot to an amazing movie he'd just seen.

Splinter stared at them, frozen as if he'd seen a ghost. After a moment he seemed to snap out of it. "My sons, please start at the beginning."


	2. Chapter 2

Leonardo sighed as Karai pressed him back against the pillows that held him half-propped up on her bed. His gear and her clothing were strewn across the floor of her bedroom which he'd found out was just down the hall from his. Convenient.

She leaned forward and straddled him while biting into his bottom lip, breaking skin on the soft inside. He hissed at the pain and pinched her nipple until she stopped to bat away his hand.

"I thought you wanted to talk." He commented somewhat breathlessly as she lifted her body, leaning part of her weight on his shoulders to position herself above his dark, throbbing member. It bobbed when it brushed her folds, making it slide away against the inside of her thigh instead of burying inside her body as she had intended.

Karai grunted in frustration and lifted herself again, reaching down to hold it in place between her fingers making Leonardo shudder and curl his toes in anticipation. "We already talked, I said I missed you." Instead of continuing with what she had intended to do she slid her fingers along the slick shaft down to the parted slit from where it protruded from his tail, slipping slender fingers past the entrance into the crowded space.

He squirmed at the feeling. He hadn't expected her to do that and he wasn't really up for it but wouldn't say so out loud. The truth was he hadn't really been up for any of this, he was running on fumes as it was and would have much preferred to fall unconscious on his futon. He couldn't really reject the daughter of The Shredder though. He'd give her whatever she wanted and would make sure she was satisfied and pleased with him, he couldn't afford to fall out of her good grace over something like being too sleepy for sex. He decided to take things into his own hands to get this moving along, the only thing worse than turning her down would be to fall asleep halfway through.

He surged forward and pushed her down onto her back, her fingers slipping out of him as he pulled her arms above her head and kissed her passionately, pushing his tongue into her mouth when she parted her lips to him.

"Tell me what you want." He breathed against her cheek.

"Tell me you've missed me." She replied.

"Karai..." He groaned as he rubbed the shaft of his cock against her folds. "No more games... please..."

"Say it."

He stopped and opened his eyes to look into hers, searching her expression for signs of anger, feeling relieved when he found none. "I've missed you." He answered truthfully.

"Good. Now fuck me until I tell you to stop." She ordered.

He obeyed. Positioning himself, lifting her hips slightly and pushing his forward to enter her. He was larger than the average human and even as wet as she was he knew he was hurting her so he paused halfway in, closing his eyes to control his breathing.

"I didn't tell you to stop." She bit out between pants.

He nodded, pushing in all the way and immediately began thrusting in long, slow movements mindful of her reactions. He expected her to order him to stop or slow down but she didn't, biting her lip to keep herself from making any sounds but when a whimper escaped her he hesitated.

"It's been too long. I'm getting used to it, keep going." She explained.

He sighed and leaned forward again, kissing her throat roughly and biting her to distract her, the hand on her hip caressing her along the bone with his thumb and kneading the pale flesh of her backside with his fingers as he kept his thrusts even and slow. She was so small in his hands.

Her brow un-furrowed after a while and she began moaning in pleasure, gripping the top edge of his carapace to pull him in reach of her lips and teeth while her heels dug into the back of his thighs to urge him to go faster and deeper. He complied, his thickened tail slapping wetly against her as he gave her exactly what she wanted, clenching his jaw as he willed his pleasure away until she had taken her own, focussing on his rhythm and the exhausted burn of his muscles as he plunged into her body.

When she had relaxed completely, her legs falling open, her arms looped around his shoulders lazily and didn't seem to be getting closer to orgasm he lifted himself off of her and sat back on his heels. At this rate he wouldn't outlast her and it was imperative that not be the case.

He covered her chest with the palms of his large hands, fingers curling over her ribs and thumbs rubbing against her hard nipples. She groaned and squirmed against him as his hands stroked downwards until they rested on her hips, a thick thumb sliding against her folds to press against the pink nub that was the centre of her pleasure. She moaned and writhed in earnest and he used his other hand to lift her hips slightly off the bed to make her arch her back and into the perfect angle to pound out her orgasm.

It didn't take long this way, the angle of his cock sliding against the roof of her cavity providing an extra bit of friction. His fast, rough movement contrasted sharply with the slow circles of his thumb on her clit and it proved to be the right move, she cried out and shook, her sex squeezing his rhythmically as she was pushed over the edge. Leonardo grunted at the feeling and let himself go, his frayed control making his thrusts erratic. He quickly neared his completion so he shifted back to pull out of her but she held him in place.

"No, inside me." Karai ordered.

He nodded and buried himself in her deeply, bucking his hips against her in a few more uneven half thrusts as he spilled into her body, his eyes half open but glassy and unseeing, clouded over by his pleasure as he came silently.

He collapsed over her when he was done, feeling weak and useless, just barely managing to keep his weight off of her. He took a second to blink the fog away and to get his bearings before she tapped him on the arm and he rolled onto his side. She rose from the bed and walked over to the large chair in the corner, slipping her arms into a silk crimson robe that was draped across the arm.

"It was good seeing you, Leonardo." She said as she strode to the door that lead into her bathroom. "I'll see you tomorrow for training."

With that he was dismissed. He knew that meant that he should disappear by the time she was done with her shower so he dragged himself off the bed and strapped his gear on as quickly as his quivering limbs would allow.

He felt kind of light-headed as he stumbled out of the doorway and down the hall. He should really shower but he wasn't sure he could stay awake long enough. He entered his room and found that someone, probably a servant, had extended a traditional futon in the middle of the room and left a covered plate on a low table against one of the walls along with a note. He would have ignored it and gone straight to bed but it had the Shredder's personal seal so he opened it and read the message.

 _Report to The Shredder as soon as you return._

This must have been left hours ago. Surely he wasn't meant to go at this hour, right? He groaned and slapped his face a couple times to wake himself up. He couldn't risk going to sleep if he was expected, after all.

* * *

Splinter listened to his children's tale of the night's events and sighed when they looked at him for answers. Donatello knew something had been hidden from their origin story, he was such a bright child it would be impossible to hide the truth once he had found a trail.

"There is something I have not told you about when we were first changed into what we are now." He began slowly, glancing at each of his sons sitting at the kitchen table across from him while he cradled a cup of tea in his hands.

"We were four, weren't we?" Donatello asked before he could continue. "You bought four baby turtles from the pet shop that day, not three."

Splinter's eyes snapped to Donatello's and he nodded, his other two sons gasping in response. There truly was nothing he could hide from this one, his mind was as sharp as a blade. "In the beginning when we were changed I decided to keep you with me and take care of you. You were my responsibility and it was my fault you had been turned, after all."

He sighed as he recalled those first moments of fear and confusion, his body contorting and changing shape in the alley. Once his vision had cleared he found himself alone and turned into some monster. He hadn't realised at first he was a rat but his attention had immediately turned to the misshapen green-skinned children crying and huddling together against the wall, large teary eyes staring up at him in fear.

Yoshi had immediately known that they needed to get to some place hidden and safe, dusk was approaching but they were very exposed. He dismissed the idea of seeking help as soon as it popped up in his head. He knew what scientists and doctors would want to do to these children and he had to avoid it at all costs.

Yoshi realised that with their size and how uncooperative they were being he wouldn't be able to take all four of them at once back to his basement apartment. He made a quick decision, approaching them slowly and talking to them gently to calm their terrified weeping.

"It will be alright, children. I'll get you somewhere safe." He snagged the two smaller ones and placed them carefully in an empty garbage bin so they would not wander away during his absence and then pulled off his jacket that fit his new body oddly and used it to scoop up the two remaining squirming toddlers and held them against his furry chest for warmth as they mewled miserably.

Even with his extensive ninja training he found it difficult to navigate unseen, his body was unbalanced and didn't respond as he was used to. The children he carried tucked against him weren't helping either. They kept trying to squeeze out of his hold and he was forced to stop several times during his three block trip to pull them back into place, he was even bitten in his efforts to soothe one of the toddlers.

"I bet that was Raph!" Mikey interrupted with a laugh and Raphael crossed his arms and looked away, probably believing it had been him as well.

"Actually it was Donatello, he was a master at attempting escape even at such a young age." Said turtle blushed and looked away while the other two laughed at his expense. "Now, don't interrupt."

Once he'd managed to bring the four turtles back to his house he was still far from done with the trials of the night and the following five months they were able to stay in his apartment as the savings from his bank account dwindled paying the rent. The moment he placed the remaining children in the empty bathtub they scrambled to their brothers and huddled together mewling pitifully or angrily or just sniffling miserably, trembling in fear.

Yoshi wasn't certain what to do beyond this point. He didn't even know how old they were or what they needed. They could walk so that would make them... a year old? A year and a half? He had no idea. They couldn't talk but he guessed it was due to them being turtles and not human children, though they looked at him when he spoke even if they showed no signs of understanding.

He knelt close to where they sat and wrinkled his nose. They needed a bath and maybe that would get them warm. Turtles liked water too, perhaps it was a good way to start.

He turned the knob and water began pouring from the spout making the children yelp and move as far away as they could, trying to climb up the smooth side of the tub but sliding back down without being to find purchase or anything to hold on to. Splinter silently tested the water with a paw, trying not to think too much about his own transformation and he noticed one of the children was watching his movements with wide brown eyes and crawling closer, reaching out with a tiny three-fingered hand to touch the spray of water and try to find where it was all coming from.

"You are a curious little fellow." Splinter said softly and he didn't need to turn his head to know the other three were watching them, suddenly the bathroom had grown silent except for the occasional sniffle. "Here, put that there." He handed the child the rubber plug that fit the hole in the bottom of the tub just underneath the faucet and pointed to the drain.

The child turned it around in his small hands and Splinter had to stop him when he drew it towards his mouth. "No." He corrected calmly. "Try using it like this." He guided the child's hand slowly towards the drainage hole and had him fit the piece firmly.

When he turned his head he realised the others had crawled closer to witness the event with wonder and watch the level of water rise. He thought they'd be frightened again but instead they patted the water playfully until it was waist high. He was startled when the smallest, freckled child laid down on his belly and submerged his head. He lifted the child quickly out of the water but noticed the movements he was making with his arm and legs flapping against his sides.

"You want to swim?" He wondered as the child stopped moving, confused at being suddenly in mid air instead of in the water. "I guess that is what turtles do..." He turned the faucet on again and filled the tub enough for them to be able to float around propelling themselves expertly even in such a confined space.

He rubbed their little bodies clean with a soft cloth as they played, childlike laughter ringing and echoing throughout the small bathroom. He didn't dare to use any soap on them fearing he could poison them if they drank from the water or hurt their eyes as they dived, splashed and swam. By the time he had decided they were acceptably clean there was almost as much water on him and the floor as in the tub. That night they slept curled up against him on his small bed and so began their life as a mutant family in New York City.

Five months later he was aware that they needed to relocate to somewhere more hidden where humans wouldn't find them. He'd begun searching the underground sewer and subway tunnels for a safe place and found somewhere acceptable before starting to move all of his belongings and stocking it with necessities as well as preparing it to have running water and other amenities. He was stripping this apartment of everything, even the kitchen appliances and furniture that weren't his. They were old but they were in working order and he figured it didn't matter if they looked for a Hamato Yoshi for taking all of those items, that man existed no longer and these children needed them. He'd find a way to repay his debt somehow in the future.

He was on his way back from carrying the mattress when he saw them. A group of dark figures were darting in and out of the shadows heading in the direction of his apartment. Foot clan. Oroku Saki had found him and his children were in danger. They needed to disappear _now_ leaving everything he hadn't been able to take behind.

He took a short cut to the apartment, running on all fours to increment his speed and have enough time to smuggle out his children before they could be spotted. He climbed through the small bathroom window at ground level and roused his sleeping children. "We need to leave now, my sons." He whispered to them. They had recently begun saying words, some more than others. They seemed to respond to their names at least and his brown-eyed boy sometimes felt like he understood his every word with the way he caught his attention when he was explaining something.

He faltered for a moment. He'd have to carry them himself and he could only take three at the most but he wouldn't leave one child on his own. In his head he made a quick mental map of what he'd need to do and growling at the turtle version of the wolf, the goat and the cabbage riddle, came to a conclusion. He'd take Donatello and Raphael first, hoping Donatello would understand his orders and keep Raphael from running off out of the nearby alley where he'd have to leave them while he went back to get his remaining sons. Protective Leonardo would be able to keep unruly Michelangelo close while he was away.

The first part of his plan seemed to be working out as he had imagined, his bright boy even nodded back at him after receiving his instructions and held onto a sleepy and grumpy Raphael, hugging him close as he watched his father turn back for the others. He returned to the apartment as the ninjas approached, too close for comfort and he quickly entered the house but found only Michelangelo frightened in the corner of his bedroom.

"Where is Leonardo?" He whispered urgently. The boy pointed with a finger in the direction of the living room and he saw through a crack in the opened door the moment the ninja noticed the turtle boy who looked up at them with wide, trusting eyes, their stunned silence lasting only a moment before one of the men struck the child in the side of the head and his body falling limp to the floor.

Splinter paused in his story as he lowered his head in shame and regret. "I had to make a choice. There were many Foot soldiers at the ready and I had to decide whether to escape without being seen and keeping three of you safe or fighting to save one and possibly getting all of us killed in the process."

They sat in silence for a while, taking in the new information.

"Leonardo is our brother?!" Mikey piped up, happy at his discovery and overlooking the rest of the story.

"You left him behind to save us?" Raphael whispered and lowered his eyes when Splinter nodded.

"I thought he would surely be killed if they hadn't already done so. If I'd have known he had survived I would have looked for him and told you sooner about this."

"But w-what do we do now?" Donatello asked him in a tiny voice, his smart child unsure of how to resolve this particular problem and looking to his father to offer a solution he couldn't come up with. That hadn't happened in a long time.

"I do not know." He responded sadly but honestly, putting a hand on his distressed son. "For now we should wait and see if an opportunity is presented to us. A solution shall arise, I am certain. Fate has brought your brother back to us alive and there must surely be a reason why."

Donatello frowned and looked down at the table, not liking the answer. He wished he could say something else to comfort him but he wouldn't lie to his children. With nothing more to say he rose and left them, telling them to rest before leaving to the dojo. He stopped in front of the small shrine erected to remember his lost family, and his gaze fell upon the broken glass terrarium, recovered and glued back together in memory of their origins and secretly, his long lost boy.

"I hope you are safe wherever you are, my child, and that you may return to us soon." He spoke softly in prayer.

* * *

Leonardo took a moment to make sure he was presentable before heading to The Shredder's quarters. The layout of this place was very similar to the Foot clan headquarters in Japan, the difference being that most of the rooms here were of western style except for the room he was currently using. He walked up to the elite guard posted at the door and asked him if The Shredder was still awake, hoping to receive a negative answer but there was no such luck.

He knocked briefly and then entered what seemed to be a study/lounge area with other doors leading to joining rooms, one of them was probably his private bedroom. There was a large dark wooden desk on the opposite side of the room with a couple chairs on this side and behind it there was a huge window overlooking the shorter buildings of this part of town.

He heard a door to his right open and turned to find his Master clothed not in his usual armour but only in a black silk robe, very similar to Karai's, his face bare as well as his feet, watching him with a stern expression. Leonardo's gut twisted in anxiety at the look he was giving him. This he hadn't missed at all.

"Forgive me, Master, if I woke you. I can return tomorrow if you wish." Leonardo spoke quickly.

"You did not. I was expecting you." Oroku Saki answered and walked closer but said nothing more as he stood in front of the turtle. "In private you may call me Father, Leonardo."

It was not a suggestion. "Yes, Father." Leonardo tried not to fidget or step back, all thoughts of sleep left his mind and were replaced by alarms, screaming at him to run but he held his ground. When Shredder said nothing more he started talking if only to fill up the silence and try to dispel the strange atmosphere that had fallen, not liking where this seemed to be going.

"I encountered the turtles," he began. "during a reconnaissance mission to get a feel of what we're up against, but ended up engaging in combat briefly-"

"Kneel."

He did as he was told, kneeling before him and bowing low as he continued to speak, more out of nervousness than the need to inform him. "They seemed undisciplined at first but they are well trained-" His voice trailed off when he heard the swish of silk and then saw the material pool at his Master's feet. His heart hammered in his chest and he didn't dare lift his sight from the floor.

"Open your mouth." He continued, his husky tone of voice making Leonardo hesitate.

He'd hoped he would be spared this for a bit longer, wishing that somehow his time away for training had made Shredder forget about him or move on to someone else.

"Remember who you belong to." He spoke, stroking the marking on Leonardo's arm with calloused fingers.

Leonardo lifted his head and let his mouth fall open breathing softly through his nose, his eyes closed. He felt the warm, salty weight of his Master's cock slide between his lips and against his tongue, thrusting against the roof of his mouth and then deeper and faster into his throat. He felt as if his body were numb, as if he were outside of his flesh and this were happening to someone else while he was far away.

Shredder caressed his cheek and he was momentarily brought back into the present, making him shudder. "Open your eyes." He ordered and Leonardo obeyed, looking up at his master, gazing at the mismatched eyes behind the frightening scars that pulled his features into a permanent scowl. "Good boy." He groaned, pushing in to the hilt and causing Leonardo to gag before sliding out of his mouth completely.

Leonardo couldn't help flushing at the rare praise, conditioned as he was after years of seeking and rarely obtaining it even if he knew what was coming next.

"Get up and turn around." Shredder commanded and when Leonardo let the beginning of a whimper escape his throat he was slapped harshly across the face, his head snapping to the side before being lifted forcefully and bent over, plastron-down onto the desk.

He didn't have a second to prepare before his tail was pushed aside and Shredder shoved his cock into his cloaka roughly, thrusting quickly and without pause, the combined fluids of his saliva and his earlier tryst with Karai easing the burn of friction against his tender flesh. He gazed out the window absently as his body rocked back and forth, his plastron scraping against the wooden desk top. He focussed on the ache of his muscles from his earlier fight, the cut on his forearm, how the top of his thighs struck the edge of the table and ignored everything else as he waited for his Master to be finished with him.

There was a light on in the window of the building across from him and he could see the profile of a girl hunched over open books, writing notes every so often. He watched her for a while and it effectively became his whole universe. Nothing else existed in the world other than the mystery girl studying late at night. After a while she got up and stretched before turning off the light for the night. _Don't go_ , he thought to himself. _Don't leave me_.

Thankfully it wasn't long before his Master quaked against him and stilled, breathing slowly a few times before parting from him, stooping to collect his robe and retreating back into his bedroom, closing the door with a soft click.

Leonardo took a moment before pushing himself off the table and steadying himself until he felt he was ready to walk back to his room. He wasn't sure how he managed to reach the bathroom adjoining his bedroom but he was suddenly there, standing under the hot spray of water as he scrubbed his skin clean.

It wasn't so bad, he hadn't been hurt and despite how he frightened him, Master Shredder usually treated him kindly if he obeyed and pleased him. He was glad he could be of use to his Master in any way that he could and as long as he was useful, his Master would keep him safe and alive. He owed him everything, after all, and this was the least he could do in return. If it weren't for him he'd probably be dead, dissected on a lab table somewhere and instead of that he'd been taken in and trained, holding a respectable position in a ninja clan, something a mutant could never dream of. He would satisfy his Master in every way that was required of him, sometimes he was needed as a sword and others as a sheath, it did not matter.

He repeated the words to himself as he scrubbed harder, shivering despite the scalding-hot spray of water he stood underneath.


	3. Chapter 3

Large reddish-brown eyes widened as they looked into his. He was falling and reaching out to Leonardo with a hand _which he grasped_ , warm olive fingers curling around his own as he pulled him back to safety, but that wasn't right. It was he who was falling, dangling by the tall turtle's hand as a gaping hole opened up under him and began to pull him in. He could read the fear on Donatello's face and knew there was no hope, the other turtle's mouth forming his name over and over as he called out in desperation but he couldn't hear it past the howling wind. His grip began slipping, Donatello began sobbing and they were finally ripped apart.

A knock at the door startled Leonardo awake. He would usually rouse the moment he felt footsteps in the hallway, completely awake before a knock even landed and opening the door before knuckles could touch wood, so being woken this way was very unsettling.

His body still felt heavy and clumsy as he forced his limbs to move and opened the door, a skinny boy on the other side delivered a message and let him know he wasn't expected at training this morning, that he was to rest and recover from his trip. He bowed quickly without meeting his eyes and left.

Like hell he could just skip training.

If there was one thing that could ensure your downfall in the Foot clan it was showing weakness and he couldn't afford to. Also, it would probably please Master Shredder if he could endure his responsibilities just as long as he could pull it off unaffected by fatigue.

He quickly went about wrapping his arms and legs, leaving his cut and bandaged arm without to avoid additional pressure on the wound and pulled on the rest of his black leather gear, strapping on his preferred dual ninjato swords but leaving behind the short tanto he carried at his waist. For training he wouldn't need the additional weapons and he didn't feel like having Karai mock him for carrying an arsenal on his back as she usually did.

He could almost hear her sing-song voice in his mind as she called him hedgehog but the memory made him smile instead of infuriate him and he considered wearing them all just to hear her say it. He hadn't lied when he said he'd missed her though it wasn't for the reasons she probably thought. She was the closest thing to a friend he had even though you couldn't really have friends in the Foot clan. He'd learned this fact very early on in his life.

He'd kill anyone in a second without hesitation if his Master ordered him to and so would she. He'd be sad if he had to kill her though, but their friendship wouldn't still his hand, nor hers. The thought didn't really bother him though, it was just the way things were. He knew she would probably grieve for him after having to kill him but he'd be remembered and that was enough.

He strapped on his extra weapons: his Chinese willow-leaf sabre or liuyedao and an Egyptian sickle-sword or khopesh, hesitating momentarily before adding his latest acquisition, wrapping the long, flexible blade of his Indian urumi sword around his waist several times before covering it with his belt, the hilt hidden under the lip of his carapace. Picking up the discarded tanto he left for the dojo quickly, his effort would mean nothing if he showed up late and interrupted the beginning of the troops' lessons.

Leonardo marched quickly down the large, dark marble halls and headed for the dojo used by the recruits. He could still pick up the light scent on his skin of both father and daughter and considered for a moment if he should have showered again before leaving his room but dismissed the thought quickly. Human noses weren't as sharp as his and he doubted anyone would be able to tell, he probably only smelled of soap and leather to them and the scent of the humans and sex that lingered was only noticeable to himself.

He reached the large double doors and didn't have to slow down as they were opened for him. He walked swiftly to stand by Karai waiting at the side of the rows of recruits ordered and uniformed by rank and level of skill who were still talking quietly amongst themselves as they stretched and waited for everyone to arrive.

"Ohayo, hari-nezumi*." Karai greeted him when he got close enough to listen to her sing-song whisper.

Leonardo's lips twitched as he fought the wild grin that wanted to claim his mouth, "Ohayo, cheshaa neko.**" He answered back, and she immediately schooled her playful smile into a serious expression as her eyes darted to something behind his shoulder.

Thinking Master Shredder had arrived, he quickly stood beside her and turned but it was a huge wolf-like mutant with bones jutting out in places he was certain they shouldn't be.

Karai leaned closer to him and whispered, "Chris Bradford was mutated. I'll tell you about it later, this place is much more interesting than you know."

The wolf man lumbered towards them and stood beside Leonardo, he heard him sniff in his direction, his snout wrinkling before turning his head away and taking a step to the side to put some distance between them. _Shit._ Should have showered again before coming, he probably has as keen a nose as Tigerclaw's and nothing ever got past his sense of smell.

Thankfully, he didn't make any remark before The Shredder arrived and the class began. They participated with the recruits as they went through the usual warm-up katas that then grew in complexity and some of the groups were having trouble following them but they could watch the more advanced students perform and imitate them. By the end of that part of the lesson, only Karai, Leonardo, Chris and a handful of others were going through the complicated moves.

Afterwards, they were split into smaller groups for lessons with different sensei. The elite, which Leonardo formed part of, were meant to assist in these lessons performing examples when asked, showing more advanced alternatives and walking through the rows of students taking note of faults or certain recruits who stood out. Once the lesson was imparted they were meant to practice combat, hand to hand and weapons training and here was where the elites truly shone.

It was common for Shredder to pit them against each other or against promising students, or those who thought themselves to be good and needed to be taken down a notch or taught a lesson. Today, the students sat in a semi-circle and watched him face Karai. They danced in and out of each other's reach, playfully testing each other at first, not showing the other anything new they had learned in the time spent apart.

Leonardo braced himself when her eyes narrowed and she charged him. _Bad idea_. He thought to himself, she couldn't win in a full frontal attack against him, he had the reach and the strength on his side but he knew she was well aware. She wouldn't make such a blatant mistake so there must be something more he was missing.

Right before she was in his reach she drew her weapon quickly and he was hit in the face with a cloud of dust. _Blinding powder._ He thought as he closed his eyes too late and had to jump back coughing, hearing the whistle of a blade miss his cheek by an inch and slice through the end of his mask tails.

"Little snake." He sneered as he tilted his head to listen and cleared his mind to fight without his eyes. Apparently the sparring match had turned from unarmed combat into weapons training but Shredder remained silent which meant the fight had to continue.

He dodged and parried her quick strikes, managing to get by with only a couple shallow cuts until she had disarmed him just as he regained vision. Well, he guessed it was time to show her what he'd learned, his weapons weren't for show.

Leonardo charged and his hand reached to his belt, unwinding the urumi sword from his waist as he jumped high and striking out while he was still yards away. Karai automatically lifted her sword to parry shuriken or kunai and was completely caught off guard when she saw the gleaming length of thin metal snaking towards her like a sharp, flat whip. He heard his audience gasp in the back of his mind but his attention was on his Master and his daughter. She blocked it with her tanto but it didn't stop the thing's advance, only slightly modified its trajectory as it coiled past her weapon and bit into her shoulder.

Alarmed, she jumped back and he drew the weapon back towards him, arm swinging lazily to make the metal ribbon spiral, circle and coil around him. With a flick of his wrist it whipped out again and she jumped back, giving ground and dodging herself into a corner. Throwing stars weren't heavy enough to cause an opening she could use and the only other option was to throw her tanto at his hand in hopes of disarming him or giving her enough time to come in close while out of reach of the unpredictable weapon but she couldn't throw her only weapon. Now, if she'd had a spare...

With a barked "enough," from Shredder the match was called to an end. There really was no other option, if he wouldn't have said anything Leonardo would have had to continue and probably cut her until she could no longer fight. It had happened a few times before but never on his own daughter, he wouldn't let him do that, he hoped. He let the urumi fall around him and wrapped it securely around his waist, waited for Karai to face him and bow, concluding his fight.

"Well done, Leonardo." Master Shredder spoke and he couldn't help inflating his chest with pride at his words, a smile curling his lip upwards for a second before fading. "You have become an even deadlier weapon I can wield against my elusive enemies."

"Hai, Master Shredder." Leonardo answered with another bow and this time he could plainly see the look of admiration on the recruits' faces out of the corner of his eye and smell the lust coming off them as their gaze followed him while he walked back to stand on the side with the other elites.

Rhazar snorted and turned his head, obvious disgust contorting his features as he wrinkled his snout. "For a prancing turtle with a toy sword... unbelievable." He muttered under his breath.

Leonardo ignored the wolf-man as he watched Karai getting her shoulder checked out. It would probably need stitches but he wasn't sorry, she was the one who decided to up the ante by using dirty tricks and pulling a weapon during an unarmed fight while he was blind. He would have probably done the same thing if he knew he could get away with it in exchange for Master Shredder's praise, but her plan had backfired and now she glared at him from the other side of the room.

 _Ah, well_. He thought. The niceties weren't going to last forever, they weren't a team, they were rivals. Only one of them would be the best fighter and he wasn't going to give the title to her without a fight. She probably wouldn't accept it if she thought he'd gone easy on her. There would be no greater insult.

His eyes darted from hers to chestnut brown as he noticed the skinny kid who'd woken him up in the morning. The boy was wearing the uniform of one of the lower ranks, he hadn't been here too long and he was still gaping at him openly with awe. He looked innocent and young, his eyes shining brightly with interest as he looked Leonardo up and down before noticing he'd been caught. The boy blushed, snapped his mouth shut and turned away but peeked through the corner of his eye to see Leonardo still looking and gifting him with a boyish, embarrassed smile and a nod.

 _Interesting._

Master Shredder left and the class was called to an end. The boy lingered and Leonardo walked over to him, the other students had started chatting excitedly and as they became aware of his approach they silenced and parted for him like the Red Sea. Leonardo stood in front of him and visibly sized him up, tilting his head to the side as he examined the tall teenager.

He seemed to be made entirely of elbows and knees, his skinny arms bent with his fingers worrying the leather strap that held his spear on his back and crossed over his chest diagonally. He straightened with Leonardo's inspection and tried to keep his hands still at his sides and eyes forward but he kept stealing nervous glances at him.

Leonardo turned to the crowd who was watching them. "I'm sure you all have some place you need to be." He said out loud and they quickly dispersed. "What is your name?" He asked the boy when they were left alone.

"D-David." The boy coughed into his fist and cleared his throat. "David Fernandez, s-sir."

"You don't look Asian, why did you join the Foot, David? Most are here to follow the paths of their parents or relatives." Leonardo asked, smoothing his voice to not appear so intimidating.

It worked, David visibly relaxed and hooked a thumb on the leather strap, "My grandfather was, he was killed by the Hamato and my grandmother fled the country and ended up here."

"I see." Leonardo's grin turned feral as a thought entered his mind. "I could help you train if you like, it would be rude to not welcome you into the clan, I see you haven't been here long."

"Oh!" The teen smiled wide, clearly excited to have the chance. "That would be amazing! Would you do that? I'm still a novice but it would be of great help! The way you fought... it was amazing! You're amazing!" He covered his own mouth at his enthusiastic outburst to stop any further embarrassing confessions and turned a brighter shade of red, his ears lighting up as he smiled shyly.

"Excellent, let's start right away." Leonardo chuckled as he turned to walk over to the mats. _So innocent,_ he thought to himself. He would be having fun with this one.

* * *

Later that night Leonardo vaulted over rooftops alone. Well, he was supposed to be with Karai, Shredder had ordered her to show him around but she'd taken one look at him when they were outside and bolted. He could have probably chased her down but he knew it would be pointless, she would just lead him on a wild chase and not really get anything done. He wasn't up for her games tonight and confrontation while she was still angry would only make things worse.

Leonardo had a small smartphone with a map on it courtesy of Baxter Stockman, the new scientist Shredder had recently acquired, showing the hotspots for Hamato turtle activity.

He was buzzing with energy as he ran, he'd been able to take a nap after training with David and was looking forward to summoning the boy to his private rooms later in the night to show him everything it meant to come under his tutelage and accept his teachings.

The boy didn't really have much natural talent to speak of, he was clumsy but he had the drive to work hard and improve along with endless supplies of positivity. He'd never seen someone so happy about being tossed onto the mats over and over, brushing himself off and ready for more without hesitation until Leonardo called an end to the lesson. His scent had been pleasing as well which was rare for a human. He smelled slightly earthy mixed with incense and leather and the spicy notes of mild arousal whenever Leonardo's hands wandered over bare skin to "correct" his positioning.

Yes, he'd have some fun with this one. He wasn't the usual student Leonardo took under his wing but he'd enjoyed himself nonetheless. If later he proved to have no skill worth honing he'd be discarded once he was bored with him.

He came to an abrupt stop above an alley that only had a couple spots marked on his map when he heard voices: a woman speaking frantically and the raucous laughter of some men. Peeking over the edge he saw what appeared to be a group of dirty low-lives in a half circle around a woman who was holding her hand-bag out towards them. It would be useless, he could smell their disgusting intentions even from up here, the musky odour of their lust wafting so thick he nearly gagged.

He shouldn't intervene, it wasn't his responsibility and he would be risking exposure and punishment. _It's none of my business_ , he repeated to himself as the laughter was interspersed with dirty names and the sound of ripping cloth and pleading filled his ears. He looked again over the ledge and the first one, the leader, had forced her knees apart and was trying to keep her that way while pulling his trousers down with his other hand, a couple of his comrades holding onto her arms and cheering him on.

Leonardo clenched his jaw and put a foot on the ledge, ready to jump down and intervene despite everything he'd just told himself when something shot through the shadows, grabbing the leader by the back of his collar and sending him flying against the brick wall, crumpling on the ground in a heap.

 _Karai?_ He thought for a moment but discarded the thought. She didn't have the strength to pull off that throw when the big guy was positioned so low to the ground to begin with.

Leonardo jumped down to the street letting fly a few shuriken on the way that buried themselves into the face of one of the others. He fell into a silent crouch shielded by shadows and unsheathed his sword. The "other" tripped two more men onto their stomachs and then dragged them quickly into the darkness and out of sight of the remaining thug, screaming until a couple dull thuds quieted them down.

"Don't just sit there." Leonardo said in an annoyed voice from where he was concealed, "Run, woman!"

The woman suddenly seemed to come back to herself and she scrambled away, scraping her hands and knees on the asphalt in her hurry to escape, leaving her torn underwear and part of her blouse along with her handbag behind. The last man was turning frantically between where his companions had disappeared and where he'd heard Leonardo's voice but he knew he couldn't see either.

"What are _you_ doing here?" a familiar voice asked him and Leonardo watched with a frown as the idiot showed himself just as the human turned around to look, and froze.

"What are you _doing_?!" Leonardo roared in anger. The human had seen the turtle and it didn't matter he'd kept hidden, he'd taken part in this mess when he shouldn't have, he'd been in the area and now some dumb punk would go around talking about a mutant turtle who knew martial arts.

The confused human turned to the side at his angry outburst and he took the chance to slice his throat cleanly, he wouldn't be able to scream that way and it was a quick and mostly painless death.

"NO!" The tall olive-coloured turtle spoke in an annoyingly high pitched screech. He surged forward and gripped the man's throat trying to apply pressure on it as he sank to the ground but Leonardo knew it was futile. It was a good cut and the man would either bleed out or drown quickly in his own blood. The severed artery had sprayed the other turtle's face, plastron and arms in red and he repeated "nonono" over and over again as his hands darkened also.

A siren could be heard in the distance and coming closer. "He's gone, come on." Leonardo ordered, not sure why the turtle seemed to obey him and let go of the lifeless body to jump up onto the fire escape and then the rooftops, running after Leonardo as they put some distance between them and the police.

He stopped and turned around several blocks later, facing furious eyes more red than brown and had to quickly dodge to the side to avoid the bo staff swung at his head. He still took a glancing blow that disoriented him and made him stumble and fall. _Stupid, stupid! Why was your guard down?_ He berated himself as the roof he was on started spinning and blurring.

He tried to stand up to defend himself from another possible attack but the world tilted and he did too, tripping over his feet as he keeled to the side and close to the edge of the building with nothing to hold onto. When he was sure he'd go over a hand shot out and steadied him, pulling him back onto the flat surface of the ledge-less rooftop and holding him in a sitting position until he stopped his vertigo-induced flailing.

"I'm sorry." Donatello's gentle voice puffed against the side of his head that throbbed with pain following the rhythm of his heartbeat and echoing inside his brain.

Leonardo pushed him away as soon as he wasn't dizzy any longer, snarling at him and drawing his swords. Worried reddish-brown eyes stared back at him and he warily positioned his staff in front of his body. The turtle's gaze fell on his blood-covered arms and his expression turned angry again.

"Why did you _do_ that? You didn't _have_ to kill him!" He accused.

"Why do you care so much? The human was filth, he was going to rape that woman and possibly kill her afterwards." Leonardo responded. "I did the universe a favour."

"You don't know that!" Donnie screeched back. "He didn't rape anyone, he wasn't even holding her down, he was standing away from the group and looked like he didn't want to be there. I could have just given him a scare and made him rethink his choices." He let go of his bo staff with one hand to emphasize his point with the other.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Leonardo asked, his tone of voice quieter and curious as the tip of his blades lowered slightly. "Some example of humankind," he scoffed, "he was going to let them do it. Didn't even have the courage to walk away. If you ask me he's scum just like the others. Cowardly scum."

"You're one to talk!" Donatello answered taking a step forward.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leonardo snapped back, insulted. How dare he compare him to that filth.

"With the things the Foot clan do, are you as bad as them or do you just look the other way? Would you have just stood by if I hadn't jumped in? I saw you on the roof doing nothing!"

"I-" He faltered, surprised he'd been caught in his moment of hesitation that he wasn't proud of. "I was formulating a plan that wouldn't expose myself! You were the one who killed that man with your brash actions. What do you think would happen if he went around telling people what he saw?"

"What?" Donnie looked offended. " _I_ didn't do this to him, was it my fault you had to throw shuriken in the other guys _face_ too?" He pointed at his own face. "What did I do then to kill _that_ man? And besides, nobody would have believed him even if he talked."

The truth was he hadn't given a second thought to those men, it hadn't even occurred to him to spare their lives and he'd just taken them as if they were worth nothing. When did that happen? When had taking a life start coming so easy to him? It wasn't that he enjoyed it. He enjoyed the execution of a perfect move, a clean cut, the way his swords whistled in the air, how he could predict his enemies' actions and of course, victory over a skilled opponent, but he didn't get the thrill of ending life that other members of the clan enjoyed and even sought. It had taken him a long time to not be haunted by the images of sightless stares and the moment of the light being extinguished from a person's eyes. He still had nightmares on occasions, there were a few that lingered in his mind from his early days as an assassin for The Shredder.

"It's not the first time you do it though." And he meant both taking life and letting someone see him, his voice as dark as his thoughts had turned. "Slowly the witnesses' statements will add up and they'll start looking into it. You're not that hard to find."

Donatello closed his mouth, his comeback dying on his lips as his shoulders drooped, probably knowing he was right. His bright eyes turned to Leonardo as he watched him with interest. "What happens now?" He asked quietly, his gaze darting down to Leonardo's swords and back up to his eyes.

Leonardo sighed and sheathed his weapons, he didn't feel like fighting today. The dark thoughts of guilt and self hatred swirled in his head. "Go home, Donatello. We'll fight another day." He called over his shoulder as he walked away from him showing him his back.

He knew this time he wouldn't be struck. He jumped over the alley, looking back from the shadow of a nearby roof and saw that Donatello still stood where he left him, his head down and staring at the blood in the palms of his hands. He knew he wouldn't be followed either.

Back at Foot clan headquarters Leonardo didn't bother coming in through the front door or any conventional entrance. He lowered himself using a grappling hook from the roof and slipped through the window to his bedroom which he unlocked fairly easily. He'd have a talk in the morning about the lacking security systems of the ninja base with the person in charge, probably get him fired.

 _Or executed._

A voice in the back of his head provided, his mind replaying the way he sliced through the punk's throat, the sound of the swish of his blade and the wet ssssslk of parting flesh loud in his ears. He cursed as he stomped into the bathroom, not flicking on the light until he was standing in front of the sink. It was all _his_ fault he was thinking like this again, that he couldn't bury the guilt where it wouldn't get in the way of his responsibilities.

He lifted his eyes to his reflection in the mirror and paused in shock at what he saw. On the side of his face he had the clear print in the rusty colour of dried blood where Donatello had cradled his face gently. The confused memory came back to him in a jumble of sensations from when he'd tried to regain his bearings after being pulled back to safety on the roof, where he'd been held in Donatello's arms for an undetermined amount of time, sitting on the cold floor.

He touched the mark dazedly and recalled the warm wetness of his palm holding his spinning head still. The white bandages on his forearm showed where he'd been grabbed and pulled back to safety. He turned his head and saw spots of the same red droplets slightly smudged on his face where the turtle had pressed his cheek against his, on the same side he'd been struck a moment earlier and asking for forgiveness. He turned his body this way and that, looking for more when he found the stain of red, spread over part of his bare carapace in a smeared arch where Donatello had rubbed his shell soothingly.

How long had he actually been like that? Vulnerable and limp like a child. _He could have killed me several times over. Why didn't he?_

He stared at his reflection, gaping at the image and piecing together the different sensations in his mind. He'd whispered "I'm sorry" and "it's okay" several times, feeling the puff of air against his cheek as he spoke. He remembered his warmth and earthy scent along with motor oil and gasoline, the spinning images as his eyes looked around wildly, not being able to settle or focus as he leaned into the comfort, panting from the adrenaline of nearly falling to his death and the dizziness and confusion that followed.

 _Shit._

 _Why? What did it even mean?_ Why would he do this _after_ attacking him, they were enemies, it made no sense. Even if they had an unspoken temporary truce while the situation was resolved this amount of care was uncalled for and unnecessary. No one had held him like that or treated him that way, not even Karai during her most generous moments and he'd even leaned into it as if he were a child wanting to be coddled. He'd never shown this much weakness before and now he'd done it without even thinking. It made him sick to his stomach.

He straightened and stared back at his ice blue eyes, confusion faded and determination shone within them. _It didn't matter._ If Donatello didn't strike out when he had the chance and he was vulnerable it was his own loss, his foolishness was to be governed by weakness and guilt.

 _It meant nothing._

He ripped off the bandages along with his gear and washed off the blood under the spray of the hot shower. Once he was done he found a guard and ordered him to bring David Fernandez to his quarters to see him. He wasn't going to let this unbalance him and he knew just the thing to take his mind off the events of the night.

Ohayo, hari-nezumi*: Good morning, hedgehog (literally – needle mouse)

Ohayo, cheshaa neko.**: Good morning, Cheshire cat.


	4. Chapter 4

"Tell me more about yourself, David." Leonardo asked the boy in a smooth voice after a servant had cleared their plates from the low tables they were kneeling in front of.

He knew the boy would have already had some sort of dinner in the mess hall along with the other recruits and it was kind of late but he hadn't had anything to eat since noon and it was close to midnight. Thought he might as well have the boy join him and eat something other than the slop he was probably served along with the other novices but once there wasn't food to keep them occupied the conversation had stagnated. Most of the night had been Leonardo describing the delicacies they were being served and the boy ooh-ing and aah-ing at the complicated names he'd never heard before from countries he didn't know even existed.

The teen cleared his voice nervously, fidgeting. "W-well, uhm. I don't know where to start!" He gave a weak little laugh and looked around the room. Leonardo could see the skin on his forehead glistening slightly with sweat.

"Well, do you have any family here?" Leonardo decided to help this charade along. He wasn't really interested in the answer but he was hoping that a bit of light conversation would ease what he was planning next, plus he was enjoying the company. His innocence and awe was refreshing but it was also making him a bit impatient to move things along. Alcohol would help too, so he rose from his cushion on the floor and walked over to a cabinet, knowing there was probably some of the expensive sake he preferred already stocked inside and some select alcoholic beverages. He pulled out a bottle of scotch and a couple of glasses.

"Oh, well, uhm, it-it's only me and my mother now." David continued talking as Leonardo moved around the extended futon David kept looking back towards. "I go home some weekends when I'm free of my duties. I ah- I'm not old enough to drink." Leonardo paused abruptly and spun his head around at the strangeness of the confession. "...yet... and I don't really like the taste." He finished softly.

They stared at each other for a moment, Leonardo's hand hovering with the bottle just about to pour out a serving. He slowly lowered it to the surface of the table and set it down. "You do know you are in the Foot clan, right?"

The boy nodded looking up at him a bit confused and Leonardo shook his head and chuckled. "You've joined a secret crime syndicate of ninjas and yet you're worried about not being the right age to drink alcohol?"

David opened his mouth to explain but closed it again with a frown on his face before his expression cleared and he laughed rubbing the back of his head with a hand. "I guess I haven't really thought about it that way. I haven't been a ninja for very long, I'm not used to it yet."

Leonardo smiled the first honest smile of the evening and he got up to put the bottle away, rummaging in the built in wine fridge a little until he found a tall, slender bottle of wine in the back. "Okay, I think you'll like this then, it's mild and sweet." He replaced the cups for wine glasses and walked back over to the teen, pulling his cushion over to his side with his toes and sitting down cross-legged instead of the formal seiza kneel they'd been holding during dinner. David took the cue and shifted to imitate his posture, their knees touching as Leonardo uncorked the bottle.

"What is it?" He asked curiously as he watched Leonardo pour some chilled white wine into each of the glasses.

"Eiswein or ice wine, from Germany. What they do is they cultivate grapes for wine and time the crops just right for the early winter morning frost once they are ripe and then press them. Only the water freezes while the sugars and flavour is preserved and concentrated."

He slid a glass in David's direction and the boy picked it up to drink some. "Wait, no, do it like this." Leonardo took his own glass to demonstrate, swishing the liquid gently and bringing the glass to his nose. "You need to move it around to bring out the scent, half of it is the amazing smell of this wine."

David copied him and hummed approvingly even though he seemed a little lost and out of his depth. "Can I try it now?" He asked sheepishly, not sure if he was doing it right. Leonardo nodded and he took a sip with a slight grimace on his face that smoothed out once the liquid actually touched his lips and his eyebrows shot up into the messy dark bangs that touched his forehead.

"It's good isn't it?" Leonardo spoke for him as he swirled his own wine glass to take in the scent, he could practically taste the sweetness and acidity on his tongue without having to drink a single drop.

David finished his second glass and looked over to Leonardo who was still scenting his untouched wine and watching him. He seemed buzzed and happy so the turtle decided that would be enough and put away both glasses and the bottle. He didn't want the boy to get drunk.

"Aren't you going to have any?" He asked Leonardo as he was returning. "I thought you liked this wine, aren't you even going to taste it?"

Leonardo knelt beside David snaking a hand behind the boy's head and pulled him closer. "Of course I am." He whispered in a husky voice as he pressed their mouths together.

The younger teen made a startled noise in the back of his throat that Leonardo swallowed and flailed slightly at the rough tug before settling his hands on the firm green arms that held him. Leonardo was devouring his mouth, pushing his tongue past David's teeth and tasting the sweet wine as he slid his tongue against the boy's.

David whined and pulled away, his body was trembling and he was already panting hard, swallowing down lungfuls of air as he blinked at Leonardo. "I-I've never done this before..." He said as way of explanation for his reticence but he was pushing Leo with his hands flat on his plastron and trying to squirm away. It wasn't working.

Leonardo had to bite back a groan at the thought of pushing him down onto the floor and taking him right there. He figured he'd waited long enough, been extra considerate with this one when usually he'd just have them brought to his room to use as he pleased.

"I'll be gentle." He said with a predatory smile that was meant to be reassuring but only made the boy look away and whimper. "Okay...?"

David stilled and nodded his head slightly. Asking was merely a formality, they both knew he wasn't going to refuse, but if it would maintain the illusion that he was still in control of what happened in this room and it brought him some sort of comfort, Leonardo was willing to pretend.

He surprised even himself when he actually kept his promise, kissing and caressing David until he was relaxed and sighing, sliding his hands over warm bare flesh softly as he removed his clothing. He didn't order the boy to do anything in return for him until Leonardo asked him to lay down on the bed while he went to retrieve lube.

He took the moment they were separated to gather his thoughts. He wasn't really sure why he was doing this, going through so much trouble. The way things usually went when he wanted one of the recruits was to order him onto the bed, toss the bottle of lube his way, maybe a toy and have them prepare themselves while giving him a bit of a show. In general, he couldn't be bothered with foreplay and there were too many things he didn't care for in humans, their squishy bodies, their scent... They were just things, warm objects with holes for him to use. A lot of them used strong smelling soaps or colognes and perfumes that stung his nose and turned him off but for some reason he rather liked this boy, his clumsy limbs, innocent reactions and his earthy scent.

Maybe most of all he enjoyed that it didn't seem to be an act with him, he wasn't there only because of duty and every smile, sigh or grimace he made were completely honest and so Leonardo found himself in the position where he wanted to please as much as he wanted to be pleasured. He wanted to make the boy smile and moan for him because it would be sincere. It was something new and he found himself hesitating, standing on unknown territory.

He sighed and crawled back to David who lay nude on his back in the middle of his futon, shaking. Usually he'd have them on their hands and knees by now, fuck them roughly, get off and toss them out. He shook his head and dropped the bottle on the pillow.

"Cold?" He asked as he ran his large calloused hand over the pink goose-bumped thigh.

The boy shook his head and laughed, the red on his face had become a permanent skin tone by now. "Just nervous."

* * *

Donatello stumbled through the turnstiles, still in a slight daze about what had happened. The image of the man staring up at him in horror as he choked on his own blood was playing over and over in repeat in his mind. He could still feel the burning hot liquid spilling through his fingers no matter how he'd tried to press the wound closed.

The gurgling gasps and wet coughs were thundering in his ears so he didn't notice anyone was there until Raph grabbed him by the top lip of his carapace and shook him. "Raph?"

"Are you hurt?" Raphael asked urgently trying to get Donnie to focus on him.

Behind him he could see Mikey, haloed by the glow of the muted television set and hugging the remote against his plastron his eyes round with worry and bright with tears.

"It's not... mine." Donatello said as he turned his palms up and lifted them slightly. "It was Leonardo, he-"

"Did something happen to Leo?!" Mikey squeaked fearfully and rushed over to his side.

"No, he-" Donatello swallowed as the image replayed again in his head. "He killed a man. Two, actually. I tried to save him but..." He shook his head as his voice trailed off.

Raphael's worried expression turned thunderous. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He steered Donnie towards the bathroom and motioned Mikey with his head to follow but he was already on it, running ahead to turn on the hot water in the shower and pulling off his own gear quickly.

The brothers were used to sharing showers since they were children. They only had the one though it was fairly large and well built. Due to their anatomy they always needed someone else to help them scrub the dirt off their shells, a long handled brush could do some of the work but if they really needed to get into the scutes you needed an extra pair of hands.

Donatello stood in the middle of the bathroom staring at his hands as if he wasn't aware that he needed to be doing something so Raphael and Mikey began pulling off his gear. They dropped his empty duffel and tool belt in the corner along with his staff, leather straps and pads but he didn't seem to snap out of it until they reached to unwrap his hands.

"...him." Donatello was mumbling as he slowly began pulling at the bloody tape around his wrists.

"What was that?" Raphael asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"I hurt him." Donatello spoke up.

"The dead guy?" Mikey asked and Raphael sent him a glare before pushing Donnie in the direction of the shower.

"No, I... not him. Leonardo cut his throat he..." Donatello swallowed and inhaled shakily, shuddering and closing his eyes as he tried to dispel the images. "I was so angry, I was furious. He had his back turned to me when we escaped, we'd been fighting some... muggers together."

He didn't say they were rapists, he knew what Raphael thought about those who preyed upon the weak, specially women and children, and he didn't think he could handle it if Raph took Leonardo's side. He needed his brother on his side tonight. "I was just so angry I struck him. He wasn't even expecting it. I think I gave him a concussion, he nearly fell off a building and was really out of it for a while."

Talking about what happened after the incident was easier, it was grounding him in the present and not just keeping his mind in that endless loop.

"Good. I hope you did." Raphael answered with finality as he scrubbed Donnie's carapace. It didn't really need it but he knew how soothing it was and with the way Donnie was hunching forward into Mikey who was washing away the blood splatter on his arms and neck it was working.

"I shouldn't have." Donnie responded finally resting his head on Mikey's shoulder.

"You mean you should have let him fall off the building like he did with you?" Raphael answered, being a bit rougher with Donnie's carapace than he should.

Donatello didn't respond, just let himself be comforted by his brothers, it wasn't very often that he and Raph didn't fight and could be civil together. "You'd be a good leader." He said softly, once the cleaning was done and Raph was handing him his purple bathrobe.

"I know, right? You should totally let me lead once in a while." Mikey answered without missing a beat.

Donatello shook his head and glanced at Raphael who hesitated for a moment before frowning, shoving the bundle into the taller turtle's arms. "I'm not." He said grumpily as he walked into the living room.

Donatello towelled off quickly and followed him, sitting down beside him as he reached for the remote. It was very late, too late to start watching something and expect to be rested in the morning for training but Mikey also sat down on Donnie's other side spreading a blanket over the three of them and settled against him. They knew there was no way Donnie would be in the mood for sleep after what happened and they had silently decided to accompany him through the night.

* * *

With a startled gasp David bit his bottom lip as Leonardo pushed a thick digit all the way into him. He rubbed the soft inside of his thigh soothingly as he waited for him to adjust to the intrusion, wiggling his finger slightly when he felt him relax and then looked up to the boy's face... and froze.

Suddenly all the pieces fit in his mind: how this seemingly uninteresting human boy had caught his eye right away, the way he felt drawn to him and how he'd sought his company tonight of all nights after what had happened.

He couldn't take his eyes off the way he bit his bottom lip showing the little gap between his front teeth. After a few seconds, large chestnut-coloured eyes opened to look back at him giving Leonardo an embarrassed lop-sided smile and the image was so reminiscent of the turtle he'd just seen hours ago on the rooftop that he thought he could be looking into Donatello's eyes smiling back at him, long olive legs spread before him instead of David's.

He drew back from David, finger slipping out of him as his realisation drowned his lust. _What am I doing?_ He thought to himself as David's expression turned worried and he asked if there was something wrong.

"What? No, I just... Nothing's wrong just give me a moment." He answered.

But everything was wrong.

Now that he had seen it he couldn't un-see it. He was effectively about to fuck- no, he was wining and dining and about to _make love_ to the enemy, and he _craved_ it. He'd been searching to recreate the closeness he'd felt on the rooftop all night with this human that looked and even _smelled_ like Donatello.

He picked up the bottle of lube again and crawled over David, pushing him down against the futon and spreading his legs a little wider. If this was what he wanted he'd just take it and then be done with the whole mess. Once his thirst was quenched he'd have no more need for this boy or entertain those traitorous thoughts about the turtle. That was all it was, lust. Pure and simple. It had just been a long time since he'd been able to take some pleasure for himself, that's all.

He released his erection between David's legs and ignored the way his eyes widened with a bit of fear, trying not to think about Donatello falling off the roof and reaching for him to save him. He spread the lube generously on his member and guided it to David's ass. He hadn't been prepared properly but at this point he didn't care, he wanted this over with and a part of him wanted to make him hurt.

He pushed into the tight opening, ignoring David's noises of discomfort and then cries of pain when he continued until he was completely buried in the boy's body. He drew out slowly, feeling the muscle twitch around him and revelling in the whimpers before plunging in again and beginning to thrust quickly.

He felt amazingly good, he was tight and so warm it was nearly scalding and the thought of him being the first to take him this way just added onto his pleasure. He pressed his plastron against the kid, weighing him down with his own body in case he began to struggle but it wasn't necessary. As much as the boy wailed he still held on to Leonardo as he was used roughly, sobbing into the turtle's neck as he neared completion. Leonardo turned his face to bite at the wet cheeks, lap up the salty tears with his thick tongue and watched his pained grimace, imagining it was someone else's.

After a while the crying became annoying, his voice was one of the few things distinctly different that grated with his fantasy so he lifted his body slightly to free one of his hands and covered the other's mouth to silence him. He was getting pretty loud anyway and though he knew no one would enter his room to interrupt him even if they did think he was killing the boy, he wasn't too keen on letting everyone know what happened inside his quarters.

He shifted slightly onto his knees to get more leverage and be able to pound him the way he wanted, losing it as he ploughed into the warm body and then suddenly his orgasm was upon him harder than he'd come in a long time. The usually silent turtle opened his mouth and let out a long vibrating churr of pleasure as he filled the human and collapsed on top of him, not bothering to keep his weight off. Still in the daze of post orgasmic bliss he pressed their cheeks together, using the boy's limp hand to cradle his own face completing his illusion.

 _I don't need you._ He said to the Donatello in his head that looked back at him sadly, but his brain even high on pleasure was telling him something was wrong. He got up quickly when he realised, uncovering David's mouth and nose and shaking the boy's limp body.

Shit. _Shitshitshit!_

He pressed his fingers against David's neck looking for a pulse. _Damn it!_ He hadn't realised he'd cut off all his air when he covered his mouth and David hadn't struggled against him... he didn't think. He wasn't sure. He'd been so lost in his fantasy that maybe he had been trying to pull his hand off, trying to tell him he couldn't breathe and he didn't even notice.

He put his ear to the kid's chest to listen for a heartbeat, his hands were shaking too much to pick up the pulse in his neck and he sighed in relief when he heard it. It hadn't been long enough and he'd only fainted. He was beginning to stir so Leonardo climbed off the bed and walked over to the bathroom door when he opened his eyes.

"Leonardo? Sorry, I must've blacked out." The boy mumbled.

"It's fine." He answered, trying to keep his expression neutral. "I'll see you tomorrow at training." He said as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

He waited in there, hunched over the sink performing breathing exercises while he listened to David stumble around in his bedroom getting dressed. He turned on the faucet and splashed some water on his face when the bathroom door opened to his surprise. That had never happened before.

"You alright?" David asked him as he tried to pat down his unruly hair that had been rubbed against the pillow into a mess that stuck out at every angle on the back of his head. When Leonardo just stared he gave him an uncertain smile.

He asked _him_ as if he hadn't nearly been smothered to death while being practically raped. "Uh, yes?" He answered dumbly with his hands still under the faucet.

"Okay, good." He sighed in relief. "I'll uh, leave you to it then. I'll see you tomorrow!" He said cheerfully as he turned around to the door, then thought about it better and stepped back into the bathroom to give Leonardo a quick peck on the lips which he didn't return.

Leonardo didn't snap out of it until the door to his bedroom clicked closed. He turned off the water, walked numbly to his bed, pulled off the soiled covers and laid down in the centre. He wasn't sure what had happened, why it had happened or what he was supposed to do about it. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go but he supposed it was his fault. He wasn't himself since he'd come to this city but he needed to regain his balance soon or he wouldn't survive this way. Too many mistakes and he'd be punished or discarded.

Only the strong survive, the weak will fall. He repeated the mantra to himself. He was strong and David was not, the turtles were his enemies and he would squash them. He had to rid himself of these feelings and of the boy, he couldn't let the boy think there was something between them, it wasn't allowed. It was one thing to use someone else for pleasure and another to form these kind of bonds within the ranks. He'd end it tomorrow.

Leonardo curled up on his side as he thought about the events of the day. He shouldn't have intervened in that fight, should have just kept walking, there had only ever been a couple sightings in that alley before he shouldn't have even stopped...

He sat up and reached over to where his gear was, pulling out the smartphone with the map. Now there weren't just two sightings for the alley any more, this one would be a third, a pattern. What was Donatello doing there at that time of night? He thought back to the events on the roof and tried to focus only on the turtle and not what had transpired between them. He had a tool belt around his waist, an empty duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. What was he there to repair? Or carry?

He looked at the map trying to see what could be nearby when he noticed the lot that was fenced off behind that particular alley. A junkyard, of course. He smelled of motor oil and gasoline, he must have been scavenging for parts. It's not like these guys could walk into a shop and buy anything they needed or have the funds or the support of an organization like the Foot Clan to supply parts for the vehicles he'd been told they had.

Leonardo put the phone away and made a plan. Donatello probably wouldn't be going back tonight after all that happened and the way he looked when he left him on the roof but if he'd been interrupted looking for auto-mobile parts he'd need to go back sometime and Leonardo would be waiting.


End file.
